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2021-12-31-accounts

ALL SAINTS CHURCH

THELWALL

ANNUAL REPORT

2021-2022

Important

Please bring this report with you to the Annual General Meeting To be read before the meeting

Charity number 1135426

ALL SAINTS’ THELWALL ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT 2021/22

ALL SAINTS CHURCH THELWALL

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING AND MEETING TO ELECT CHURCHWARDENS

27th APRIL 2022

MEETING TO ELECT CHURCHWARDENS

  1. Minutes of the last Meeting

  2. Vote of thanks to the Churchwardens

  3. Election of Churchwardens

  4. Notice of the Archdeacons Visitation

  5. AOB

  6. Close of Meeting

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL MEETING

Minutes of the last Meeting

A.

To receive a report on changes to the Electoral Roll since the last Annual Meeting

To receive a report on the proceedings of the PCC and the activities

of the parish generally

To receive a report on the financial affairs of the Parish

To receive the independently examined accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31[st] December, 2019 To receive a report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church

To receive a report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod

B.

To elect Representatives to the Deanery Synod

To elect Representatives to the PCC

To appoint an Independent Examiner

D.

Any matters of Parochial or general interest

Chairman’s Report

Other Reports

E. Close of Meeting

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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING TO ELECT CHURCH WARDENS

28[th] APRIL 2021

Douglas welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked everyone for coming in these strange times. Due to guidance from the Church of England, meetings and services have to be kept as brief as possible.

The meeting started with a short service.

1. The Minutes were accepted as a true record. Proposed: Mike Horne; Seconded: Julie French

2. Vote of thanks to Church Wardens

Douglas thanked Julie and Derek for the fantastic work done during the pandemic. We have been well blessed. Nothing has been too much trouble for them. We held three services on Easter Sunday, requiring logistics that were challenging for the wardens.

3. Election of Church Wardens

Julie French – Proposed: Jean Fisher; Seconded: Ray Fisher

Derek Leather – Proposed: Pip Horne; Seconded: Frank Whittaker.

Due to Covid, there will be no archdeacon’s visitation service this year. Instead, the wardens will be legally sworn in by the vicar in a morning service.

4. Election of Deputy Wardens

Under the new Church Representation Rules 2020, these are now appointed by the PCC at their first meeting.

5. AOB

There was no AOB, so the meeting to elect church wardens was closed.

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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

28[th] APRIL 2021

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 21[ST] October 2020 were accepted as a true record. Proposed: Jon Halliday; Seconded: Derek Leather

Electoral Roll – Jon Halliday - Electoral Roll Officer

The process of revising the roll has been severely curtailed by the closing of the church due to the CoronaVirus. Only 4 new names have been added. The number now on our Electoral Roll is 246. The total last year was 244. Of these 246 names, 181 live in the parish of Thelwall and 65 outside. The roll is revised every year, with a full revision taking place every 6 years (2025).

Financial Report – Julia Young – Treasurer

Julia reported on the financial challenges that came with covid and lockdowns. She reminded us that coming out of the pandemic will also come with challenges. We have a number of outstanding liabilities that need to be addressed, as well as annual increases in parish share.

Julia proposed Brian Robinson as our independent accounts examiner for the coming year. The meeting was in agreement.

The vicar thanked Julia for navigating us through the financially stormy waters of the pandemic.

Reports – the meeting also received reports from the wardens, the secretary, a deanery synod rep, and the vicar.

Election of Representatives to the Deanery Synod - No elections this year. Our representatives for 2020-23 are Bob Powell, Mike Horne, Alison London, Kath Mellor

Election Representatives to the PCC:

Caroline Johnstone – Proposed by Elaine Whittaker; Seconded by Karen Tipping. Christopher Monks – Proposed by Colin Horrabin; Seconded by Helen Speed.

Unseen Unsung Hero

This year’s Unseen Unsung Hero was Bob Powell. Julie and Derek thanked Bob for all the help and advice given during the pandemic in risk assessments and for ensuring everyone was kept safe in Church.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

All Saints Church is situated in Thelwall. It is part of the Diocese of Chester within the Church of England. The correspondence address is the Vicarage, Bell Lane, Thelwall, Warrington, Cheshire.

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2011) and registered as a charity on 9[th] April 2010 with the Charity Commission ( Charity number 1135426 ).

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PCC members during 2020 were as follows

Rev Douglas Black Julie French (Churchwarden) Derek Leather (Churchwarden) Bob Lester (Lay Reader Emeritus) Pip Horne (Lay Reader and Deputy Chair) Colin Horrabin (Lay Reader) Julia Young (Treasurer) Kath Mellor (Secretary and Deanery Synod Representative) Bob Powell (Deanery Synod Representative)

PCC Elected Members

(From April 2019) Julia Young Jon Holiday Elaine Whittaker

(From October 2020)

John Alexander Malcolm Hague Alison London Karen Tipping

(From April 2021)

Caroline Johnstone (Safeguarding Officer) Chris Monks

Church Architect

Tony Barton, RIBA Donald Insall Architects, 5 Bridge Place, Chester

Bank

NatWest, Warrington Branch, 23 Sankey Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 1XH

Independent Examiner

Brian Robinson

AIMS and PURPOSES

All Saints' Church, Thelwall Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Reverend Douglas Black, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for the Parish Hall on Bell Lane Thelwall.

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Our mission statement is:-

Growing Up, in our faith by engaging with the bible, prayer & worship.

Growing Together, through team work, encouragement, fellowship & fun!

Growing Out, to our local and global community with practical service and generosity.

Growing More, by sharing our faith & drawing people into the life of the church.

We aim to fulfil this in all aspects of church life.

OBJECTIVES and ACTIVITIES

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at All Saints. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church and the Parish Hall.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE and MANAGEMENT

All Saints’ Annual Parochial Meeting is held on the last Wednesday of April and it is at this meeting that church wardens and PCC members are elected. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2017. At All Saints the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our vicar), churchwardens, lay readers and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services/members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial training into the workings of the PCC.

Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has appointed six permanent action groups, each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life:

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Employment Matters 2022

The PCC employs three part-time employees: a Director of Music, a hall caretaker and a hall cleaner. We also pay organists and a verger to assist at funerals and weddings. We also pay for a person to dig small graves in the churchyard for cremated remains.

The Chester diocese parishes are committed to best practise as laid out in: “Just Employment – Employing Staff in Faith Based Projects”. This policy was compiled by the Church Urban Fund and adopted by the Dioceses of the North West. It contains information on recruitment, documentation, pay and reward, dismissal and redundancy, volunteers and health & safety.

Despite only having a few employees, we are still subject to all the demands of Employment law, including the National Living Wage. In some instances – like paid church choir directors and musicians – employment is also governed by Canon (church) Law. Liz Geddes – the Diocesan HR Advisor – has been an enormous help to us. But legislative demands seem to grow year on year.

Since 2014, employers must notify the HMRC on each occasion that payment is made to an employee. This includes single payments to vergers, organists & gravediggers, as well as the earnings of our part time employees.

Pensions: at the moment, none of our employees are eligible for auto-enrolment on a pension scheme because their earnings are below the required threshold. National Insurance: this becomes payable when our workers earn (currently) £180 per week.

Safeguarding is a major responsibility for churches, for reasons that are all too evident in the media. In May 2021, Elaine Whittaker handed over the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer to Caroline Johnstone.

In spite of the ever increasing demands on us as employers, we are still keeping up with our responsibilities!

Vicar’s Report

This is my 20th year as vicar of All Saints. Where did that go?!

1. Growing Up in our faith by engaging with the bible, prayer & worship . The last 12 months have seen the church emerge from online to ‘in person’ worship. Restrictive practices were

eased somewhat but still with appropriate covid-safety measures. We tried videoing the ‘in person’ services for the website but logistics have been challenging. Delivery of prayer and bible reflection resources to church folk of all ages continued until September. Feedback has been appreciative and positive and there is plenty of potential for development. In Lent, our bible groups engaged with (via Zoom!) the C of E’s ‘Living in Love and Faith’ studies on human sexuality. Participants valued the opportunity to discuss the biblical material together.

2. Growing Together through team work, encouragement, fellowship & fun! The return of the bonfire, wine tasting and the Christmas Fayre provided welcome opportunities for camaraderie and collaboration (and income!). Despite these wonderful events, I am still concerned about the problem of loneliness in our community, which has been intensified by the pandemic. Mental health issues amongst the elderly and young people have been exacerbated by uncertainty and isolation. How can we include such people in our growing together? The invitation and friendship we offer our neighbours can be life changing. They need us - particularly at the moment. Who could you invite and involve? Let’s be an inclusive, open, absorbent fellowship that helps people to belong and believe.

3. Growing Out to our local and global community with practical service and generosity. Despite Covid, we managed to sustain – and in some cases increase - our generosity to our adopted charities. Over recent months, the local Foodbank has been under strain, meaning our donations of food items have been very timely. As ever, the response to the Toy Service has been extraordinary. I’m always amazed by the many nonchurch people who engage with the shoeboxes. It seems to ‘work’ on so many levels. Recently, the PCC decided

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to financially support two mental health charities: ‘Get Warrington Talking’ and ‘Papyrus’ (young suicide prevention). Interesting choices but not surprising. As ever, our planned appeals are accompanied by wonderful individual acts of kindness & generosity to neighbours near & far.

4. Growing More by sharing our faith & drawing people into the life of the church . Open the Book (OtB) restarted in the infant school in September. And we managed to put together an OtB Christmas service in church for the junior school. Thankfully, 2022 is already presenting us with more opportunity to be in the schools. The latest research indicates an increasing effectiveness of one-to-one evangelism in bringing people to faith and church. Thus, the C of E has been ramping up the ‘Growing Faith’ campaign, which encourages Christians to share their faith in word and deed during the week. Consequently, in Lent, we will partake of the “Talking Jesus” course, which encourages & equips church members to share their faith with family, friends and colleagues.

In last year’s report, I highlighted the importance of discipleship to healthy church life. I mentioned that a ‘disciple’ is a ‘learner’. We’re either learning about following Jesus or we’re learning about how to help others follow Jesus. Thus we are always learners! The aim is to encourage newer people to fulfil their potential. Our exemplar is Jesus: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these”. Hence, your goal is to help your learner or successor to do greater things than you! Who could you develop and disciple?

So much good is done by so many people in this church that it’s hard to thank everyone individually. But I would like to pay tribute to Julie & Derek (wardens), Julia (treasurer), Kath (secretary), Pip, Colin & Bob (Readers) and all the action groups for adapting to the transitional phase of the pandemic with energy and focus. Just in case you haven’t heard already: Felicity has decided to bring her tenure as our Director of Music to an end this summer, following 24 years in the job. We will express our appreciation to Felicity in due course but, for the moment, we rejoice in her music ministry amongst us. And to one and all I say: ‘thank you’ and ‘well done good and faithful servants’. Keep growing up, growing together, growing out and growing more.

Eco Church

Our new bishop is very keen to encourage churches to become ecologically friendly. At the first PCC in May 2021, we looked at the “Eco Church Survey” produced by the ‘A Rocha’ organisation. It was helpful and challenging. It was encouraging to see that we have already fulfilled some of the recommendations e.g. LED lighting and repaired windows. But there is still much to do. Hopefully, the next year will be more about ‘eco church’ and less about ‘covid church’!

PARISH REPORTS – Achievements and Performance

All Saints Church, - Revised Electoral Roll 2022 – Jon Halliday & Mike Horne Electoral Roll Officers

At the time of writing this in mid March 2022, the Electoral Roll had been updated and at that stage the numbers were:-

The number on our Electoral Roll was 237.

The total last year was 241 (as declared on 8[th] May 2021).

Of these 237 names, 175 live in the parish of Thelwall and 62 outside. There are 0 new names.

The Covid pandemic has resulted in no new names have been added on account of the reduced number of services and limited places for attendance. This, compounded with some members passing away, has had a negative effect (2.5% reduction) on the Electoral Roll. The negative effect is now expected to be alleviated now that restrictions are being eased and services are no longer subject to any restrictions on numbers.

I will be able to state the current numbers for the coming year at the Annual Meeting.

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Numbers over the past few years are below:-

Jon Halliday - Electoral Roll Officer

Total at AGM in 2007 = 155 full revision Total at AGM in 2008 = 175 Total at each AGM Total at AGM in 2009 = 177 Total at AGM in 2010 = 184 300200 155[175][177][184][193][199][204][221][237][248][256][264][244][246][241][235] Total at AGM in 2011 = 193 100 0 Total at AGM in 2012 = 199 Total at AGM in 2013 = 204 full revision Year Total at AGM in 2014 = 221 Total at AGM Total at AGM in 2015 = 237 Total at AGM in 2016 = 248 Total at AGM in 2017 = 256 fig a. Visual representation of the electoral roll numbers declared at each AGM Total at AGM in 2018 = 264 Total at AGM in 2019 = 244 full revision Total at AGM in 2020 = 246 Total at AGM in 2021 = 241

Secretary’s Report – Kath Mellor

Since the AGM we have held our meetings in Church well spaced out wearing masks. Our first meeting of the new PCC was to elect officers and Sidespeople. The PCC co-opted Helen Speed on to the PCC as a link to the Parish Hall. Julia went through all the responsibilities with regard to Church Finance and showed how it will be a tough year as we haven’t been able to do any fund-raising activities.

At each meeting we discuss our Church building and this year we have spent time looking at our car park. We have also discussed the best ways to keep people safe whilst coming for communion.

We are keeping records secure and minutes are loaded onto infoodle by Jon Halliday. Jon is looking at each member of the PCC given a unique email address.

At present we are looking at the way forward with the Choir and music which we have been privileged for 24 years having Felicity Speed being the Director of Music.

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Deanery Synod Report

Like most meetings, Deanery Synod started 2021 on Zoom. Discussions revolved around the Church of England’s ‘Care of Clergy’ report. Synod and the congregations it represents made a commitment to supporting the well-being of their clergy.

At the September meeting, Rev'd Nikki Eastwood, Chair of the Diocesan Advisory Group for Living in Love and Faith, encouraged us to discuss the questions: how do identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage fit within the bigger picture of the good news of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to live in love and faith together as a Church?

Deanery Synod also had the opportunity to meet the new Bishop of Stockport. It should’ve been the Bishop of Birkenhead but Bishop Julie injured her shoulder and couldn’t attend.

In 2022, Synod will begin to focus in on the C of E’s initiative ‘Everyday Faith’. This initiative seeks to encourage church members to share their faith – in word & deed – between Monday to Saturday, at work, in the club, amongst family and friends, in our voluntary work etc.

To receive a report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church (Churchwardens)

This year has continued to throw up new challenges due to the ever changing Covid 19 rules and once again as a church family, we have risen to that challenge seeing a nearly normal return to our worship and enabling us to open up the kitchen for after services tea, coffee and general fellowship which we are sure has been greatly missed. We have gradually been able to bring back the Thursday morning service, 8am service, Praise and Play, Crafting, Book club. as well as hosting Coffee mornings, other social events and even the large Royal Legion Remembrance Day Service which due to Jon Halliday and Mike Horne`s excellent technology skills we were able to hold outside in a marquee as well as inside which meant that we could have many more people from different churches attend. (Grateful thanks to you both).

Douglas has found a way to soak the communion wafers in wine and dry them so that we can enjoy receiving communion without having to share a cup and we can once again enjoy praising God by singing accompanied by our wonderful choir, all be it still wearing masks.

So here at All Saint`s Thelwall we feel that God is truly with us supporting and guiding us through the eye of the storm and now hopefully into calmer waters.

Worship Action Group (Action Group Chair, Douglas Black)

The devotional resources we delivered during the pandemic were actually in use well before covid. Jean Pye introduced WAGs to the low cost, high quality prayer cards produced by The Prayer Trust. Pre-covid, we distributed these cards to church members at Easter, Christmas etc. However, during the pandemic we delivered them to 180 households every month, which meant the cards found their way into the spiritual lives of many more people. Post-pandemic, we will look to develop the availability of these and similar resources.

Every year, we engage with the Archbishops’ Ascensiontide initiative: Thy Kingdom Come (TKC). TKC encourages Christian to pray for - and share their faith with – family, friends & neighbours. The C of E is now giving plentiful copies of the TKC prayer diary and children’s resources free of charge!

Over the year, worship services took small steps towards ‘normality’. Booking seats at services finished in September. Hymns & music were reintroduced at the same time. Communion moved from being administered in one kind (wafer) to two kinds (wafer with a drop of wine on it). Risk assessments were still necessary and safe spaces were created for social distancing. Omicron slowed progress somewhat, but we’re getting there.

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ALL SAINTS’ THELWALL ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT 2021/22

For the first half of the year we managed to video our services and upload them to the website. But the logistics of doing so became complicated and time consuming, and we discontinued it in the autumn. Nevertheless, we will look at this again when the talent and personal capacity becomes available.

We are very grateful to Judith Biggin for coordinating the resources for Operation Forth Bridge i.e. the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Judith is doing the same for Operation London Bridge, which is the code name for the death of the Queen. Churches have been given specific instructions for the observance of these events.

Bible study groups are up and running again. Some are ‘in person’ and others are via Zoom. The ‘Living in Love and Faith’, ‘Hope Explored’ and ‘Talking Jesus’ study courses have been used over the year, along with material chosen by individual groups.

Felicity announced that she will be stepping down from her role as Director of Music at the end of August, which will bring to an end her remarkable 24 year tenure. We will celebrate Felicity’s ministry later in the summer when we will have the opportunity to express our appreciation for her friendship, faith and fortissimo (the only musical word I could think of that begins with ‘f’!). WAGs will begin to guide the PCC’s thinking and praying about what happens in a post-Felicity world.

Choir & Music Group Report – (Music Director)

A phrase much used recently comes to mind to start this report - what a strange couple of years! However, praise God that we are beginning to see the return of something more like normal. Over this last year we have seen the gradual reintroduction of music and singing within the services and that is continuing. During Covid the piano was moved up into the chancel and close to the choir so at the services where we have reintroduced Music Group style as well there has been no need for any distinction between the musicians which has been greatly welcomed by all.

As always I am very grateful for the support given to me by all the musicians, both singers and instrumentalists, especially during the recent difficult times. We managed to sing a Carol Service last Christmas in person despite many difficulties and atrocious weather but were unable to hold our carol singing in the pubs due to Covid restrictions.

This is my last year as Music Director as I will be retiring from the post later this year so I would like to say how much I have appreciated the privilege of being able to serve the community of All Saints and of Thelwall in helping them to worship our majestic and wonderful God and thank everyone for putting up with, working with and helping me over the past 24 years. May God bless the Church and be loved and worshipped in Spirit and in Truth for many years to come.

Parish Hall Action Group (Action Group Chair, Helen Speed)

As might be expected, given the pandemic, it has been an interesting year for the team at the Parish Hall, with the many changes in rules and the stopping and starting of groups. We have given and received support from our Users and despite the difficulties our account balance has shown a steady increase.

We have been able to continue to maintain the hall, with increased CCTV surveillance, replacement fencing and gates and a new Hive heating control system, plus general repairs including to the car park lights, which had been damaged by cars parking too close to them.

A new cleaning contract was also let after our super cleaning lady left and a number of the actions required following a Fire Risk inspection were completed.

Family illness reduced the numbers in our team, so some items remain outstanding. These include: replacement of the fire alarm system and refurbishment of the bike rack, which was damaged by strong winds.

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Car parking by footballers from away teams has been a problem on occasions, which has not yet been resolved. A parking contract has been received for consideration however recent Government reviews on fines raised by car parking companies will affect the profitability of these and may result of amended terms.

Representatives of the Scout Leaders, Action Groups, Chaigley senior staff and a community leader were invited to a second workshop to identify improvements to the Hall and Scout HQ based on workshop one and a community survey. A plan of proposed improvements was agreed and presented to the PCC. Expert advice is now being sought to plan for these improvements prior to grants being sought.

Opportunities have arisen for us to work more closely with Chaigley School to offer further services to Hall Users and the community and over the next year we will begin to explore and develop these as capacity allows.

With God’s guidance and the support of the PCC we look forward to continuing to serve our community in 2022/23.

Pastoral Care and Community Outreach

During 2021 there were 2 weddings, 1 baptism, 12 funerals at All Saints and 6 funerals at the crematorium only, 4 burials and 10 interments of ashes.

Church opening on a Saturday morning continued to be cancelled. During Lent 2022 the Church has been open Monday to Thursday at 10am for prayers for Ukraine.

Baptism Preparation – A church member visits the family before the baptism to get to know the family and explain what’s involved. This person is at the service and the baptised child is given a children’s Bible as a baptism gift from the church.

Bereaved families are visited before and after the funeral by the vicar. We have a ‘Memorial Service’ of remembrance once a year, at all Saints-tide, to which all who have been bereaved during the last year are invited. We are please this was able to go ahead in 2021.

Our Counselling Referral service has been able to help a good number of people again this year. We are very grateful to the Diocesan Counselling Service for accepting our referrals. In addition, we are now providing oneto-one help for people struggling with 'officialdom' i.e. form filling, bureaucracy, HMRC, benefits etc.

Mike Brewer kindly runs the “Dealing with Officialdom”. Help and advice is offered on the following topics:

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Food Bank Donations are left at the church and then taken to the Warrington Distribution Point by a church member.

Harvest Gifts – the gifts of tinned and packet food are given to the Warrington Food Bank and the gifts of flowers are distributed to the sick, bereaved and elderly of the parish.

Outreach Action Group (Action Group Chair, Kath Mellor)

We have not been able to hold any meetings this year as a group. We have had a couple of meetings after Church and whilst doing various activities. We put up an Experience Pentecost in the Church Yard where the school children came to see the displays, along with the congregation and visitors to the graves.

During the pandemic lots of people knitted poppies and this was displayed in Church and we decorated the window ledges with greenery and poppies. We had a plaque made for the 100 years of the British Legion which is now on display at the British Legion, for Remembrance Sunday. Also we put crosses around the Yew Tree with information on people who lost their lives during the wars.

Remembering the Loved Ones this year was held in Church and we served refreshments afterwards.

Thanks to our Action Group (Richard, Margaret, Pat, Wendy, Peter and Lynda who have helped and supported me during the last year in making cakes, providing names, providing gifts and delivering the gifts. Also to out Church members who have helped us do this. My thanks to my family also for without them I could not have done these projects.

The Children and Young People Action Group (Action Group Chair, Caroline Johnstone)

We gradually re started activities in the summer months of 2021; Praise and Play met a few times in Elizabeth Park and Messy Church restarted with a Bible story hunt walk around the paths surrounding the Parish Hall ending with a refreshing ice lolly.

Praise and Play began their twice monthly sessions in church in September with a revised risk assessment, however, due to changes in nursery places, illness and routines, there have only been 2-3 children and, on occasion, nobody attended. The sessions are led by Janet Black, Elaine Whittaker with Liz Taylor. Sheila Grainger has not returned after the disruption of the pandemic. The Praise and Play team have decided to continue with their sessions and continue to advertise and invite people. The feedback the team receive from parents/carers is always encouraging.

Messy Church reopened, with Messy Harvest, in the Parish Hall. Following our revised risk assessment, in order to make this work we decided to limit the number of families to 13 (up to 20+ children) and introduce a booking system. Each family stays at their own table, instead of moving from activity to activity, and Messy Church leaders introduce each craft activity which are linked to the theme via a story or talk. Instead of sitting down together to eat at the end of a session, Kath very kindly makes a suitably themed cake all individually wrapped for them to take home. Some families, in their ‘bubble’ helped share what we had done at the Harvest Festival. Messy Harvest was very well attended as was Messy Christmas and Messy Spring/ Easter. We have also seen some new families come along which is great.

Our core team is made up of Janet Black, Karen Tipping, Linda Hutchinson, Kath Mellor, Jean Fisher, Felicity Speed and Elaine Whittaker with Richard Speed, Frank Whittaker and others helping out too.

In January 2022, we held a Messy family sports afternoon which was great fun and enjoyed by all. We have not restarted our story services as those were less easy to operate allowing for social distancing. Hopefully, they will return in the near future.

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The Social and Communications Action Group (Actin Group Member Trish Powell)

2021 began in the same way that 2020 finished, with all our annual social events (including the Jumble Sale, Easter Egg Hunt, Quiz Night, Garden Party and Fairtrade Coffee Morning) sadly cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. We continued to meet as an Action Group virtually during this time, trying to assess when social events could recommence but it was a difficult period given the continuing uncertainties and restrictions. Practical considerations and prayer were both vital during these deliberations.

Thankfully, in the autumn the situation began to open up and we were finally able to run a number of regular events. These included a Wine Tasting (moved from May to October), Bonfire Night (November), our Christmas Fayre (December), and a Christmas concert by the Warrington Male Voice Choir in our church (December). These all proved very successful, both financially and as a wonderful opportunity to bring people together again after long periods of lockdown and restrictions. They all attracted many people from the village and the wider area as well as regular church attendees. In addition, our first event back was a Macmillan Coffee Morning in church in October which raised £433 for the charity. The Book Club continued to meet on Zoom during the first part of the year and returned to meet in person in the Community Area at the back of church from September.

During the pandemic, the Parish News continued to be a source of communication and company within the village; it is edited by a member of SCAG and is normally distributed monthly free to every house in Thelwall. It ensures that the work and life of All Saints’, in relation to worship, fellowship, friendship and social activity, is advertised as widely as possible. At the height of lockdown, the publication went purely online, both because of the very fluid nature of the situation and to protect the army of volunteer distributors and the recipients; the digital version was distributed electronically as widely as possible and a copy was also uploaded onto the church’s website. Physical copies were produced when the restrictions eased and it was particularly good to be able to distribute a hard copy of the Christmas edition around the village as it is much appreciated.

The SCAG members would like to thank everyone for their support during the past two difficult years as we have had to cope with cancelling many events and running others at fairly short notice, but we can assure you that we are now back planning our popular and appreciated events and have a full calendar of activities which will hopefully take place in 2022. Suggestions for new events are always welcome!

Mission Support

During the year we gave grant support to the following charitable organisations direct from church funds. Normally the amount given is based on the income of the previous year but in spite of the large reduction in income during 2020 we continued to give the same amount to the church’s chosen charities. Our chosen charities changed in at the July PCC meeting. The charities were: Warrington Youth for Christ; Church Urban Fund; Christians Against Poverty and Mayak. They are now: Church Urban Fund; Papyrus; Prison Fellowship and Get Warrington Talking. We are also giving financial support to Christ Church, an adjacent parish to ours.

In addition the following funds were raised directly for the following.

The Christian Aid door to door collection did not go ahead due to the pandemic. However a sponsored run by the vicar raised £3213

Samaritan’s Purse was supported through the donation of filled shoes boxes for Operation Christmas Child brought to our “Toy Service” in December.

SureStart was supported through the donation of wrapped gifts given at the Christmas “Toy Service” and taken to SureStart, Halton where the charity distributed them to their local family centres.

The Children’s Society is supported with donations from our Christingle service. This amounted to £551.68 from our 2021 service. Personal collection boxes were collected in 2020 but not given out again.

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ALL SAINTS’ THELWALL ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT 2021/22

Fairtrade Foundation

All Saints’ is a fully registered Fairtrade church (our Fairtrade status was renewed in July 2020) and we use Fairtrade tea and coffee whenever refreshments are served. Whilst the church was closed during the lockdown periods, a member of the congregation continued to deliver Fairtrade goods locally by operating a telephone/email order and doorstep drop service. We are now back to our previous arrangement of holding a Fairtrade stall in church every 1[st] and 3[rd] Sunday. Although unable to host our annual Fairtrade Coffee Morning during Fairtrade Fortnight 2021, our online service on 28[th] February was devoted entirely to Fairtrade and several members of the congregation also took part in the online Fairtrade Festival. In October 2021, the All Saints’ Wine Tasting event featured two Fairtrade wines which were very popular. Two church members are dedicated volunteers at Warrington’s own Fairtrade shop. Fair 4 All, and were very active in continuing deliveries during the times the shop had to be closed.

Ecumenical relationships

All Saints is a member of Lymm and District Churches Together (LDCT).

During 2021 the LDCT council proposed a constitution which was presented to member churches for approval. The PCC agreed this and also appointed two church members to be lay members of the LDCT council.

The Sanctuary Café is a Community Interest Company that began as an idea developed by CTLD and is supported by them. Events held by the Café are advertised in All Saints’ magazine. As the Café doors were closed on the 21[st] March we were very sad. After three weeks Sue and I decided to do cream teas for VE day. We send over £3k to Warrington Hospital. As soon as this was over we started to do Afternoon Teas and this has been so well appreciated. We had special days – Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day when we did over 160 teas. We are now planning our Mothering Sunday weekend as I write this. When we haven’t been in lockdown we have had the café open with self-distancing in operation and everyone signing in. When the café has been closed we have done take aways. The Sanctuary Hub runs a Memory Café on a Thursday when not in lockdown and we held during the November lockdown a Bumps and Babes. As soon as we can these events will start again. Anyone interested in either of these events please contact kathlmellor@gmail.com.

The Stewardship Action Group (Action Group Chair Alison London)

We advise on matters referred to us by the PCC and seek to support the treasurer and church wardens. We also seek to encourage giving based on Biblical principles. We normally have a few formal meetings during the year when we meet in person but this did not happen due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We have maintained contact by email in order to deal with situations that require our attention, as they arise,

Encouraging Stewardship: Our membership are of considerable importance as they provide the majority of our funding and give valuable volunteer help, particularly with fund raising events. Those who have committed to regular giving by envelopes or standing order have continued to support us.

When the time came for us to present our annual stewardship service the church was closed. However, with Douglas’ help, we put together a service that was available on YouTube via the church web site. We emphasised God’s generosity and encouraged people to respond generously in their giving to the church. Information on gift aid and gift aid forms were removed from display because of the ongoing pandemic but details of those from whom forms were available was advertised. Our stewardship secretary, Trish, is responsible for the weekly giving envelopes and is available to give more information on these. Details of the church bank account are available from myself or the treasurer for those who want to give by standing order or to make a one off donation.

Church Budget: A budget for the coming year was prepared and presented to the PCC for approval. It was particularly difficult to prepare given the difficult circumstances and the uncertain future.

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ALL SAINTS’ THELWALL ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT 2021/22

Maintenance: The group is responsible for the maintenance of the church yard and supports the church wardens in implementing the church maintenance plan.

Conservation Project: The action group chair represented the group on the committee responsible for delivering this. The project has now been completed successfully.

Christmas Wreaths: The making of Christmas wreaths for sale was cancelled for a second year.

FINANCIAL REVIEW (Treasurer)

Who can believe this is my final financial review as Treasurer for All Saints Thelwall? I am delighted to be able to hand over the responsibility to Chris Monks and hope that you will support him in the way that you have all supported me. I will not be moving too far, retaining responsibility for the Parish Hall and 200 club accounts.

First my thanks to Alison London for her overall support, Trish Powell for coordinating the envelope scheme, Jean Fisher for managing the Friends of All Saints, Linda Hutchinson the 200 club and Mike Brewer for his wisdom, support for large projects and Gift Aid claims. I would also like to acknowledge Helen Speed, Rachel Payne, and Carolina Curbuelo for their support at the Parish Hall. I also salute the counters, bankers, form fillers, and event organisers. It is your help that allows us to prepare accounts to the quality required by the Charities Commission. Lastly I thank Brian Robinson as our independent examiner preparing our annual accounts. Like me, Brian is stepping down after the APCM and his place will be filled by Kevin Walker who I propose as the independent examiner for 2022. Brian has moved us from preparing accounts using Excel spreadsheets to a cloud based system which means the Treasurer and the PCC can review the financial position as they require. I am grateful to him for his patience and eye to detail.

From a financial viewpoint 2021 allowed us to consolidate our position as the world moved from full lockdown to a fragile return to normality. The Church building re-opened, and we welcomed the congregation back to the building, though many were reluctant to attend and our social events were few. Income remained at 2020 levels and as yet, our church collections have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time our major outgoing, the Parish Share increased. We were very fortunate to be able to hold our Bonfire and Fireworks event – as a fundraiser and opportunity for outreach – this alone makes a substantial difference to our church income, without it the accounts would be very different.

Throughout 2021, as the progress of the recovery from the pandemic became clearer, PCC agreed to increase our Parish Share contribution until by December 2021 we were paying 100% of the required amount. In addition, the arrears from 2020 were repaid and this is captured as a separate line on the accounts. We still have an outstanding liability from 2021, but this repayment can be agreed by PCC when the financial situation is suitable to do so.

The payments for the Conservation project were made in 2021, leaving only an amount set aside for the training of church volunteers. To have completed this project and to have our church looking so beautiful is an achievement and the project team are to be congratulated.

We are very generous in our giving to other causes. The church now gives to five charities on a regular basis (up from 4). These changed from Mayak, Church Urban Fund, Christians against Poverty and Warrington Youth for Christ in 2021 to Christchurch Latchford, Prison Fellowship, Papyrus, Warrington Speak Up and the Church Urban Fund. Several other charities were also supported through the year by collections or donations.

Income from the Parish Hall has increased in 2021, as groups returned to use the Hall. Lettings have not yet returned to the pre-Pandemic levels. Expenditure has been minimised, but will again increase as we use the hall more frequently. The new car park is a real asset, leaving only a faint memory of puddles and potholes!

Our reserves were hit very heavily during the pandemic, as a consequence of our drop in income and the ongoing requirements of 2 capital projects. We have been able to replace the reserves for the Parish Hall, but the church has not had sufficient funds to be able to replace the funds in reserve 4) – unallocated church project reserves.

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ALL SAINTS’ THELWALL ANNUAL TRUSTEES REPORT 2021/22

Over the last 6 years, there has been little change in the planned giving at Church, a steady increase in the Parish Share, and we have moved the Parish Hall to running at a “profit”. PCC annually agrees a budget for church and this has been negative whilst I have been in post, meaning we plan to spend more money than we take in. We make no accounting changes to incorporate a depreciation figure, and so have to rely upon our reserves or raise funds to cover any renewal or replacement of equipment, facilities or building repair. In addition we have nearly £11,000 as Restricted funds. Offsetting that, we have a claim of approximately £13,000 due from HMRC which should improve our bank balance in 2022, otherwise we are relying upon the Parish Hall and the fund-raising events to balance the books.

Clearly this makes the priorities for Chris as he takes on the Treasurer role, to increase the income of All Saints, and I will do everything I can from a Parish Hall viewpoint to support him in that.

Thank you all for your support.

I would like to propose Kevin Walker as our independent accounts examiner for 2022.

RESERVES POLICY

We now have four reserves policies agreed by PCC. These cover both the church and the Parish Hall. Firstly they set aside a sum of money to enable the church / Parish Hall to continue should income dwindle. Secondly, they reserve monies for larger projects

1) Allocated reserves policy for the Church

“The Treasurer maintains sufficient funds (agreed as £20,000) in an agreed Investment Fund that would allow the church to continue to function financially for a period of 12-18 months assuming unchanged receipts and expenditure.”

“The Treasurer maintains sufficient funds (£15,000), that would allow the PCC of All Saints Thelwall to continue to manage the Parish Hall for a period of 18 months assuming unchanged receipts and expenditure.”

A sum of £10,000 should be made available by the PCC of All Saints Thelwall as unallocated reserves for project requirements of the Parish Hall, identified by the Parish Hall Management Committee and agreed by the PCC of All Saints Thelwall.

A sum of £15,000 should be made available by the PCC of All Saints Thelwall as unallocated reserves for larger long-term projects identified as a result of the Quinquennial Inspection.

It was proposed and agreed that the allocated amounts and policies should be reviewed by PCC every 3 years with the next review taking place in May 2023.

The 200 Club acts as a working reserve for the Parish Hall.

INVESTMENT POLICY

We invest the allocated reserves for Church and Parish Hall in COIF funds, a low risk investment that, hopefully, will give a better return than a savings account. Since these funds are unlikely to be required at short notice, the risk is acceptable. The unallocated reserves for the Parish Hall are also in COIF funds, the remainder are in savings or current accounts.

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Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of All Saints’, members of Thelwall. (PCC All Saints Thelwall) On accounts for the year 31 December 2021 Charity no 1135426 ended (if any) Set out on pages 3-6

Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responsibilities of The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my examiner's statement attention (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:
Name:
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body
(if any):
Address:		 Date:
11/04/2022
B Robinson
Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
31 All Saints Drive, Warrington WA4 2JJ

IER

11 April 2022

1

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

IER

11 April 2022

2

PCC All Saints Thelwall Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2021

Financial statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2021

Receipts and Payments Accounts

Note
Receipts
Voluntary Receipts:
Planned Giving
Collections at services
Gift Aid recovered
All other giving/voluntary receipts
3a)
Activities for generating funds
3b)
Investment income
Church & Parish Hall activities
3c)
Total receipts
Payments
Church activities:
Diocesan parish contribution
Diocesan parish contribution (2020 Arrears)
Clergy and staffing costs
Church running costs
3e)
Hall running costs
3e)
Mission giving and donations
3f)
Cost of generating funds
3g)
Total payments
Surplus /(Deficit) before transfers
Transfer between funds
Surplus /(Deficit)after transfers
Cash at bank and in hand at 1st January
Cash at bank and in hand at 31st December		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
49,498
0
49,498
50,489
1,850
0
1,850
1,342
0
0
0
13,875
16,279
11,447
27,726
116,787
67,627
11,447
79,074
182,492
22,028
492
22,520
6,285
3,721
0
3,721
1,848
39,732
0
39,732
21,944
133,107
11,939
145,047
212,569
64,727
0
64,727
57,481
10,144
10,144
0
3,882
0
3,882
2,975
18,860
16,579
35,439
109,991
17,774
0
17,774
71,651
2,791
2,791
4,039
118,178
16,579
134,756
246,136
6,899
0
6,899
4,141
125,076
16,579
141,655
250,277
8,031
(4,640)
3,392
(37,708)
(11,183)
11,183
0
0
(3,152)
6,544
3,392
(37,708)
85,682
4,353
90,035
127,743
82,530
10,897
93,427
90,035

IER

11 April 2022

3

PCC All Saints Thelwall Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2021

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Cash Funds
Bank Current Account
Deposit Account
Investments
Deposit Fund
Total
Other Monetary Assets/Liabilities (Note only)
Assets
Gift aid recoverable (estimate)
Debtors incl hall hire
Recoverable VAT
Less liabilities
Conservation Project Creditors
Chester Diocesan Board of Finance
Other sundry Creditors
Net assets /(liabilities)		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
46,912
2,527
49,439
74,768
186
0
186
186
43,802
0
43,802
15,081
0
0
0
0
90,900
2,527
93,427
90,035
13,221
13,221
10,000
2,428
2,428
3,799
0
947
1,520
1,520
18,692
3,610
3,610
10,144
1,656
1,656
3,078
8,863
0
8,863
(17,168)

Notes

  1. The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the receipts and payments basis.

  2. The movements in restricted funds during the year were:

Restricted Funds
Friends of All Saints
Youth Work
Conservation Project
Parish Hall Car Park
Church Car Park
Total
 to be closed		 Bal b/fwd
Receipts
Payments
Transfers
Bal c/fwd
£
£
£
£
£
2,340
492
0
(250)
2,582
2,013
0
72
0
1,941
0
947
15,381
14,433
0
0
3,000
0
(3,000)
0
0
7,500
1,126
0
6,374
4,353
11,939
16,579
11,183
10,897

IER

11 April 2022

4

PCC All Saints Thelwall Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2021

3. Further analysis of Receipts and Payments Accounts 3. Further analysis of Receipts and Payments Accounts 3. Further analysis of Receipts and Payments Accounts
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds 2021 2020
£ £ £ £
Receipts
a) All other giving/voluntary receipts
Donations church 7,427 7,427 8,348
Donations hall 522 3,000 3,522 21,287
Grants non recurring 8,329 0 8,329 0
Church Car Park 0 7,500 7,500 0
Conservation Fund 0 947 947 87,152
16,279 11,447 27,726 116,787
b) Activities for generating funds:
Parish magazine advertising 1,625 0 1,625 1,835
Fund raising events social committee 18,522 0 18,522 1,855
200 Club 1,764 0 1,764 1,727
Member donations Friends 492 492 370
Miscellaneous church receipts 117 0 117 498
22,028 492 22,520 6,285
c) Church & Hall activities
Fees for weddings and funerals 12,062 0 12,062 6,025
Hall lettings 27,670 0 27,670 15,919
39,732 0 39,732 21,944
Payments
e) Church activities
Church running expenses
Utilities 4,045 0 4,045 3,454
Council tax 2,762 0 2,762 2,631
Insurance 2,881 0 2,881 3,225
Deanery / LDCT 70 0 70 130
Clergy expenses 337 0 337 1,440
Cost of Services 738 0 738 453
Building/Churchyard/Vicarage Repairs and Maintenance 1,561 0 1,561 2,556
Youth groups and Sunday school 72 72 149
Post Phone Copying and Stationery 553 0 553 481
Lottery & Copyright Licences 602 0 602 842
Assigned Fees 3,940 0 3,940 2,165
Outreach 1,372 0 1,372 241
Major repairs and renovations 16,507 16,507 92,223
18,860 16,579 35,439 109,991

IER

11 April 2022

5

PCC All Saints Thelwall Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2021

e) Church activities continued
Hall running expenses
Utilities
Building/grounds maintenance
Staff payments
Insurance
Other running costs
Phone/Internet
New equipment
f) Mission giving and donations
Church Urban Fund
Mayak Foundation
WYFC
Christians Against Poverty
Fair Trade Foundation
Church of England Childrens Society
Warrington Speak Up
Prison Fellowship
Papyrus
Christ Church Latchford
g) Cost of generating funds
Parish magazine printing
Fund raising events social committee
200 Club prizes and costs		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
1,770
0
1,770
3,332
4,816
0
4,816
60,245
6,771
0
6,771
4,568
1,627
0
1,627
1,418
2,114
0
2,114
1,667
462
0
462
630
214
0
214
-209
17,774
0
17,774
71,651
629
629
713
534
534
817
534
534
713
523
523
713
0
0
335
0
0
749
95
95
0
95
95
0
95
95
0
285
285
0
2,791
0
2,791
4,039
740
740
974
5,565
5,565
2,582
593
593
585
6,899
0
6,899
4,141

IER

11 April 2022

6